filled sendoff. plus espn is accused of using a racial slur. did the network cross the line with its headline about new york knicks guard jeremy lin? there's been world reaction. we'll hear what people are saying. and the navy s.e.a.l.s are called into action on the big screen. it's a new blockbuster thriller, and, no, those are not actors. we'll talk to the real men on the front line and in the movie. we start, though, with whitney houston being laid to rest today. she is being buried next to her father in the fairview cemetery in westfield, nng. that's about 25 miles south of newark. but the funeral service was held yesterday, where her grace was remembered. so was her grace and her passion. we'll have much more later on in this hour. an arizona sheriff outed by a phoenix newspaper has stepped down as the state's co-chairman for 34i9 mitt romney's campaign. sheriff paul babou is accused of threatening to deport his ex-boyfriend if he reveals the relationship. he announced for the first time publicly that he is gay but says he won't end his congressional run. china is calling for an immediate ceasefire in syria. a chinese diplomat was visiting the syrian counterparts when the military opened fire on protesters in damascus. as many as 17 people were killed in syria yesterday. china's vice foreign minister said both sides should sit down and negotiate an end to the violence. china and russia recently vetoed a u.n. resolution calling on the president to step aside. the discovery of human remains on long island, new york, has reignited fears of a possible serial killer on the loose. the remains find friday were about 40 miles from where ten other sets of remains were found last year. police said they aren't sure yet if the new discovery is linked to the other cases. yesterday's funeral for whitney houston was a celebration of her life, of her gift, and of her legacy. ♪ ♪ hate's going around and it's running ♪ >> family and friends like stevie wonder were at the new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey, to say good-bye. there were songs and stories about the little girl that everyone called nippy and about a woman who did not consider herself a superstar. >> it's a tree we could all hang from, the inexplainable burden that comes with fame, call it doubt, call it fear. i've had mine, and i know the famous in the room have had theirs. i asked her to trust me, and she said she would. a half hour later she went back in to do her screen test, and the studio fell in love with her. the whitney i knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered, am i good enough? am i pretty enough? will they like me? it was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. whitney, if you could hear me now, i would tell you, you weren't just good enough, you were great. >> that was kevin costner. meanwhile, houston's ex-husband bobby brown added some unexpected drama to the day. he ended up leaving the funeral early. in his statement, brown says he was asked to move several times when he got there and finally just decided to leave instead of creating a scene, he says. houston's family says brown was expected to be there with two friends, but instead he brought ten. some of his group were asked to move to make room for whitney houston's mother. the family says bobby brown refused, so police were called over. we've got much more ahead this morning on whitney houston. next hour we'll talk with atlanta area pastor michael mcqueen, who was there at the funeral yesterday. we'll get his impressions. at 7:20 eastern time we'll be joined by a pop culture expert to look at whitney houston's musical legacy and the lasting effect she's had on entertainment. at 8:00 a.m., we'll get a journalist's view from inside the funeral at the new hope baptist church in newark. the south getting a double dose of bad weather this weekend from severe storms and then another blast from old man winter. meteorologist reynolds wolf is here. good morning, reynolds. >> it is indeed the one-two punch from mother nature. we had a lot of rain along the gulf coast, including bourbon street in new orleans had heavy rain. even tornado reports from parts of louisiana into alabama. thankfully, no severe damage and certainly no injuries, no fatalities. the system is going to chug its way into south florida. the top half of the system back in the appalachians, no rain but possibly snowfall. we'll talk about how that's going to affect your traffic coming up in a few moments. espn is offering an apology to jeremy lin after using a racial slur in a story about the nba essentialization. plus a vote that says defining life begins at inception. this morning concerns that would lead to a ban on abortions. and elizabeth smart is now a married woman. more on her nuptials just ahead. and a new combat movie featuring real navy s.e.a.l.s. and it's not without controversy. 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[ male announcer ] introducing the waterproof pantech element. buy one for $249.99 and get a 4g burst smartphone free. only from at&t. can you enjoy vegetables with a 4g burs saucetphone free. and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. we now have time to look at the weather. we're going to go to reynolds wolf. reynolds, tell us at this point we have severe weather going on in the gulf, virginia, maryland. >> it's really a mix. it's this area of low pressure we've been tracking along parts of the gulf coast. if the water was a little bit warmer and it happened to be, say, during hurricane season, it might be something we have even greater concern about. we're showing you the possible snowfall in the top half of the system, how it might be affecting the appalachians, some places three to six. take a look at this. let me show you what you have in terms of precipitation. got a lot of this mainly towards memphis, chattanooga, nashville. yesterday the rain was very heavy. let me show you what happened on mardi gras. it was certainly a very rainy time to say the least. the beads were coming down, and so too were the rain drops. very heavy at times. it wasn't just a rain event. we had all kinds of things going on. tree damage reported in parts of the gulf coast. even a couple of tornadoes reported, but in terms of extreme damage, it just did not happen today. that's the good news. that area of low pressure is going to continue to move over parts of the northeast. jacksonville along 95, i would expect it to intensify. as it mixes with the cold air aloft, we'll see the snow develop in parts of virginia, through the carolinas, and even into west virginia. how that's going to affect you in terms of travel. could be a tough travel day in places like atlanta, birmingham, nashville, raleigh could be an issue, especially during the afternoon hours. and washington, d.c., look for snow to develop late afternoon. pure bliss for portions of the central plains. just beautiful. lots of sunshine. scattered snow showers across the central and northern rockies, even the wasatch range getting in on that action. 40s for seattle and portland. 63 in los angeles. 39 in denver, that's the high temperature. 45 in new york. 84 in miami. and 41 in boston outside fenway park. that's the latest on the forecast. gary, your turn. >> 41 outside fenway park. spring training beginning this weekend. >> bestill my heart. >> the time has come. thank you, rereynolds. speaking of sports, espn says it's sorry for using an inappropriate word to describe nba sensation jeremy lin. espn says it could punish employees responsible for it. on wednesday an anchor used a word that's also a racial slur for asians. the same word appeared later on espn's mobile website. espn has taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. lin is an american of taiwanese descent. he's come off the bench to lead the knicks to some thrilling wins. whitney houston's ex makes an appearance at her funeral. many have asked why bobby brown left the funeral before it was over. his explanation coming up. nanci. and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. there's another way litter box dust:e purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder on dust. and our improved formulas neutralize odors better than ever in multiple-cat homes. so it's easier to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. the celebration, it's a celebration of life. she's gone, but she's never forgotten. whitney will always, always be in our hearts. >> the family needed this time. as much as we'd love to be there or be somewhere in the realm of it all, it still moves us to be out here sharing our memories with whitney houston. >> those were some of whitney houston's fans saying good-bye in their way. inside the church, it was a celebration of song and powerful memories. ♪ she was born in newark ♪ she was heaven sent >> we are here to mourn her loss but to celebrate her life, one of our angels, whitney houston. ♪ a long time coming but a change had to come ♪ >> so what i know about her is that she loved the lord, and if there was a grace that carried her all the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home. ♪ but i know she wasn't afraid to die ♪ >> so say whatever you want, god was for her, and she is resting singing with the angels. god bless you, family. god bless you. god bless you, whitney. we love you so much. ♪ because whitney understood somebody's waiting beyond the sky ♪ ♪ it's been a long time coming >> a lot of leading men could have played my part, a lot of guys could have filled that role. but you, whitney, i truly believe that you were the only one that could have played rachel marin at that time. she told god that she was going to be like aretha, like her famous cousin dionne, like her beautiful mother cissy. there can be little doubt in this room that she's joined their ranks. as the debate heats up this century, and it surely will, about the greatest singer of the last century, as the lists are drawn, it will have little meaning to me if her name is not on it. >> without knowing of her love of music, her passion, and her absolutely natural genius in interpreting songs, you certainly don't know all of whitney houston. personally, all i can say is that i loved her very much. everyone in heaven, including god, is waiting, and i just know you're going to raise the roof like no one else has done before. ♪ and no more whitney, no more do you have to cry ♪ ♪ you'll always be our ribbon in the sky ♪ >> don't grieve for me, for now i'm free. i'm following the path god laid for me. ♪ and do i hear a song i look to you ♪ >> god wanted me now. he set me free. ♪ jesus loves me for the bible tells me so ♪ >> i love you, whitney. lemon burst, hm, cherry orchard, blackberry harvest... my daughter's grabbing some yoplait. pina colada, orange creme. i can't imagine where she is... strawberry cheesecake. 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[ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! it's time to check out what other stories are making news across the country. we start in charlottesville, virginia, where a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his girlfriend decided not to take the stand in his own defense. instead, george huguely left it up to his attorney that, while he fought with yardley in 2010, he left her injured, not dead. they called the death an accident. both the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. the trial resumes on wednesday. to hawaii, where elizabeth smart is a married woman. she married her boyfriend in a small ceremony on oahu's north shore. smart and matthew gilmour were supposed to get married this summer but the couple decided to move it up a few months because of all the media attention. you remember that elizabeth smart was kidnapped when she was 14 years old and held for nine months. she's now 24 years old. finally, let's go to las vegas, where the stars came out to say happy birthday to muhammad ali. ali actually turned 70 last month, but vegas never misses an opportunity to party. >> he is the most generous person i know. and you know what? my dad doesn't want to spend his birthday getting gifts. he wants to give back to the community. >> he is the most unselfish person that i've ever known. >> he's an icon in just about every avenue of life. both as an athlete and as a person. >> ali has changed us all and impacted us all, whether we acknowledge it or not. >> president obama sent along a video message to ali. people paid up to $10,000 a ticket to go to the party, which doubled as a fund-raiser for the muhammad ali center in louisville, kentucky, and the brain health center at the cleveland clinic. bobby brown is speaking out on his early exit from the funeral for his ex-wife whitney houston. the r&b singer left the service shortly after arriving. sources said brown decided to leave after being asked to move several times in the church. reverend jesse jackson spoke to cnn's don lemon about the incident. >> four or five of them sitting in the front row, and they wanted them to move. i think they didn't make proper accommodations for him to move. so he was asked to leave. that was a very difficult moment for all of us. i tried to get him to stay, but they asked him to get up to go and wouldn't make room for him. that was a painful moment in today's otherwise tremendous, inspiring service. >> in a statement, brown said in part, "i fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continued to ask us and no one else to move. i will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way i know how." so we want to hear from you on this topic. what do you make of the bobby brown scenario at the funeral? tweet me at gary tuchmancnn. whitney's funeral brought out the famous and her fans. we'll look at how whitney was remembered when we return. that allows students to have a social network. you can post discussion questions. we have more than twenty thousand faculty members, chances are one of them is online when you need some assistance. i'm ron gdovic, i'm committed to providing my students with a twenty-first-century education and i am a phoenix. beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed. these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right -- whole grain. 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[ female announcer ] new multi-grain cheerios peanut butter. we want to welcome you back to "cnn sunday morning." i'm gary tuchman. it's 26 minutes past the hour. in the news, whitney houston's family will gather today at a private burial to lay her to rest. she'll be buried next to her father. her burial comes one day after celebrities like alicia keys sang tributes to houston at her childhood church in newark, new jersey. the emotionally charged invitation only service lasted for hours, with people remembering the superstar as a powerful singer, actress, and child of god. our national correspondent susan candiotti has more on what happened after the funeral. >> reporter: gary, after the funeral with the rain coming down, friends and family of whitney houston were invited to a special gathering called a repast, and they gathered on the 22nd floor of a private dinner club to share something to eat and to share stories, no doubt, about whitney houston, how they knew her, how they loved her. many people who were notables were also here. a lot of people, the spectators recognized from across the street as these invited guests crossed a red carpet and a rope line into the building. they included, of course, cissy houston, and bobby christina, whitney's daughter. we saw kevin costner go in. even afterwards, he came out and waved to everyone standing across the street, watching all these people gather. we also saw reverend jesse jackson and al sharpton. tyler perry came here as well as dionne warwick and jennifer hudson and angela bassett. a number of notables. for many people, undoubtedly, it was an inspirational and emotional experience and in many ways, very likely, a comforting one. gary, back to you. >> susan, thank you very much. we all know that whitney houston will be remembered as the voice, a diva, and a superstar. how did she see herself? here's whitney houston in her own words. >> when we started, it was about what would fit with my voice, what song did. when clive heard me sing "the greatest love," which is the song he grasped onto and said, that's where we're going to go. we've finally got someone who can sing great ballads. ♪ the greatest love of all is happening to me ♪ >> so i'm proud to carry that torch, you know what i'm saying? i'm proud of that. you give the best you've got. i worked really hard, and i gave it all i had, and that's all you can expect. i feel humbled. i feel blessed to have received all of this -- these accolades. i don't know, that's the way i feel. i fell in love with a great man, and i thought, mm, i think i'll have his baby. no, i'm only kidding. but, no, i did fall in love with a great man and decided, i'd like to have some kids. i don't know, i just thought maybe it would be nice to have somebody carry me on. it's not a comeback for me. i've been here. i've just been here. i just took a break, you know, which sometimes you have to. you have to know when to slow that train down and kind of just sit back and relax for a minute. i just wanted time to be -- for my daughter to look in my eyes and to know that i was mommy sxn t and not the lady on tv, you know? that was very important to me. my mother used to always tell me, above all, to thine own self be true. that's kind of what i want to teach bobby chris. be true to yourself. you can fool people. you can fool anybody any time of the day, but you can't fool yourself. at night, when you go home, you've got to be straight up with you. here's a look at some top stories on this sunday morning. the co-chair of mitt romney's presidential campaign in arizona has stepped down. we're talking pinal county sheriff paul babeu. "the phoenix new times" published allegations that he threatened to deport an ex-boyfriend. babeu is now saying he is gay but denied trying to deport the man. babeu is also running for congress. he says he will continue with his congressional campaign. a new set of human remains found on long island, new york, has rene